Lancaster man faces rape, kidnapping counts

LANCASTER -- A Lancaster County registered sex offender kidnapped a woman at gunpoint, raped her and tried to run over her with his car, authorities said.

Jessie Wayne Massey, 46, of 861 Deerwood Road was arrested after his cell phone was found at the scene, said Lancaster County Sheriff's Office spokesman Tom Holland.

Massey is charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping, Holland said. Other charges may be filed.

Shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, a 29-year-old woman left a Meeting Street grocery store and loaded her toddler in a van. As she was walking to the driver's door, someone put a gun to her and forced her into his nearby car, Holland said.

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The gunman then drove the woman to a boat landing under the S.C. 9 bridge that connects Chester and Lancaster counties and raped her inside the car, Holland said. The man then forced the woman outside the car and tried to rape her again, Holland said.

During the scuffle, the man set the gun down, and the woman grabbed it, Holland said. The man retreated to the car and tried to run her over as she escaped, he said.

The car never struck the woman, who was able to get back to S.C. 9. A passerby found her running down the road naked, still holding the .22-caliber handgun, Holland said.

The woman was shaken but suffered no life-threatening injuries. Her child, about 18 months old, was found safe in her vehicle.

Investigators returned to the scene of the attack and found a pair of eyeglasses and a cell phone.

They tracked the phone to Massey and were waiting at his home a few hours later when he pulled up, Holland said.

Holland said the woman, who lives in North Carolina and works in Lancaster, did not know Massey. Holland said there are no other suspects in the case.

Massey is listed on the sex offender registry because of a 1984 conviction in North Carolina for second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to State Law Enforcement Division records. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the North Carolina conviction, but local authorities aren't sure how much of the sentence he actually served.

In 1993, Massey was charged in Lancaster County with kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and assault and battery with intent to kill, according to SLED records. He was convicted only of the latter offense and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was released in 2003.

Massey was being held Wednesday night at the Lancaster County Detention Center. He was denied bond. If convicted, Holland said Massey could be sentenced to life in prison without parole.